Camilla Läckberg

I pre-ordered Cämilla Lackberg's new novel under the assumption that it would be another of her good mysteries set in Fjällbacka. I was disappointed when it arrived as it is a stand-alone novel, and is, or so I thought, a trite and overworked novel about domestic violence. I do not consider the subject of domestic violence trite. What annoys me is how often the writer uses the subject to write very bad books that in no way resemble any of the abuse that I have been subjected to by my ex-partners.

Camilla Läckberg is one of a kind and she got it right.

I confess to having no knowledge of what it would be like to be slim and beautiful, married to an exceptionally wealthy man, and having a perfect house and a wardrobe purchased in Paris and Milan. Faye does. She and her beautiful little girl, Julianne, live with Jack, corporate mogul and absolute shit of a human being. He is serially unfaithful and treats Faye like she is a stupid decorative piece, when in fact it was her brilliance in the economic sector that started her husband down the road to success and wealth.

Eventually Jack leaves Faye for somebody younger and more slender. And after crashing on the spare room bed at her best friend's house for a month, Faye plots Revenge. Revenge with a capital R. Nobody knows what Faye is capable of, what she has already done.

The Gilded Cage was one of the few books that have ever surprised me to the degree that this one did. Wow, there's a zinger at the novel's end - do not under any circumstances peek at it - that made me gasp like few books ever have. Well played, Camilla.

This wasn't a great book, but it was an evening's entertainment with some lovely plot twists.… (mais)

**1/2
The second book I read by the same author, and the style starts annoying me, as does the plot and some of the characters. Why should I get to know the details of the burger meal consumed on the way to an interview with some suspect? Why all those adjectives? Why do all the voices sound the same?
I noticed some lack of consistency, too. For example, the good guy and the good girl go against common sense and rules more than once, but they are the Chosen Good Ones, so the reader is expected to smile indulgently and forgive their good-willed little mischief. If a Dumb Mean Antagonist does the same, though... ahi ahi ahi, that is a proof (if we ever needed one) and a consequence of their ineptitude and lack of moral strength.
After Kay Scarpetta and her mates, I would find likeable even Judge Dredd. This said, the characters, though lacking a voice, are interesting, or at least not unbearable. Anyway I found them likeable enough, given the level of the novel. However, the author must have a problem with maternal figures. Nearly all of them are, to be nice to them, inadequate and cold if not completely insane.
Plot is the Eternal Plot of the Scandinavian Thriller. I like it, even if it is always the same story.
All in all, I had enjoyed more The Stonecutter, in which these defects are less conspicuous, but I just found out that the latter is a more recent effort. So, I will try the second novel in the series before deciding if I can stand her writing or not. In the meantime, the 2 stars are raised to 2 and a half, as a sign of hope...
By the way, the style is sometimes really annoying. Maybe it is the Italian translation's fault.… (mais)

Fast read. Decent brain chewingum with loads of introspection, motivations rooted deep in the disfunctional family past of the killer, and exploration of the usual topics of the Scandinavian mystery: sexism, violence on women, prejudice against not-average people (guess what? Yes. Another character with Asperger syndrome).
Style is quite flat, but characters are decently complex, at least some of the main characters are. Anyway, they did not grate my nerves, which is more than I can say of most large consume thrillers I have read.
The novel ends, kind of, on a cliffhanger, so I will look for the next installment. Usually I am annoyed by this thing of prefab series, but this novel is unobtrusive, unassuming and agreeable as a pair of fluffy slippers, the kind you can't wait to slip in after a day work, as long as they are new and crispy clean.… (mais)

Ce roman court de Camilla Lackberg s'inspire fortement du roman Les Dix Petits Nègres d'Agatha Christie. En effet, neuf membres d'une famille sont réunis sur une île en compagnie d'un policier et très vite, l'aïeul meurt à la suite d'un empoisonnement au cyanure. Ce huis clos ne révolutionne pas le genre et l'autrice prête parfois à ses personnages des émotions et envies pas toujours en conformité avec ce qu'elle a décrit d'eux précédemment. Il en ressort un livre plutôt moyen mais néanmoins agréable à lire.… (mais)